The Morning After
by SunStorm
Summary: With the events of the past few weeks behind them, the O'Donnell's are dealing with the morning after.
1. Maggie

The Morning After

- Maggie -

Maggie rolled over and let out a long moan. After her mother had bolted from the game, she watched Mark as he seemed to lose all interest in the game. His eyes followed Scarlett as she made her way down the stands and then out of the gym. Her mouth fell open in surprise, as he passed the ball off to her brother, and sprinted down the hallway after her mother. The crowd was stunned as they watched him make his way off the court. Her eyes flicked back to Alex, as he held the ball in his hands and stared with an open mouth after his friend. His eyes snapped to the coach, and stripped off his jacket and ran into the court.

The victory party afterwards had been epic. Alex had lead the team to victory, filling in almost seamlessly in Mark's absence. The party had lasted well into the morning, and had finally been broken up by the cops. Overnight, her brother had gone from her ex's personal punching bag, to one of the most popular kids in school. She couldn't believe the difference one day made.

Her head was blur, as she tried to block the sun from her face. Bits of the night played over and over in her mind. She remembered the blaring music and how hot everything seemed. When she walked in with Alex next to her, the room shook with the force of noise. Alex was grinning ear to ear as various people swarmed around him. She took a step back and watched as he stood up straight and took in the party around him. Next year would be different for the both of them. She would be headed off to college, leaving Alex alone. So maybe she wasn't the best older sister she could have been. She had let her boyfriend beat on him and would barley talk to him at school. But seeing him now, the center of the circle, she knew he'd be ok.

The sudden bang from the other side of house forced her to open her eyes. The sound was _way_ to loud after last night. Deciding to get up for no other reason other than to go to the bathroom and get some of the sweet smelling coffee, she flung her door open and left her room.

Still trying to wake up, Maggie stumbled her way towards the kitchen. She walked towards the sounds in the kitchen not paying attention to the things around her. She turned the corner, still wiping sleep from her eyes. As they took focus, she was stunned at the sight in front of her.

Her mother was seated on the counter next the stove, with a man's arms wrapped around her. Her head was tilted back as he kissed along her jaw. His hands were wound in her hair and her mother's arms were wrapped around his neck.

Maggie quickly stepped out of the kitchen and her back slammed soundlessly against the wall. Her legs gave out and she slid down to her knees. Her hands flew to her mouth in shock and she scrambled to make her legs work. Finally, getting a footing the hardwood, she bolted back down the hallway and slipped into her brother's room. She jumped onto his bed and started hitting him.

"Alex!" she hissed, trying to wake him up. "ALEX! You're not going to believe this!!"

Alex pushed her off the bed with one arm, and rolled over mumbling to her to get out. He pulled the covers over his head and she could hear him telling her to just let him sleep. She jumped back into the bed and shook him.

"Get out of bed right NOW!" she hissed as she punched him. Hopping back off his bed, she ran back to the door, opening it a crack and peering out. She could hear Alex sitting up and getting out of bed.

"What the _hell _Mags! I just got to bed like two hours ago!"

"Shut up! They'll hear you!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him out into the hallway. She creped her way down the hallway, dragging Alex behind her. She could hear him mumbling about the fact that it was way too early for an online shopping consult. Stopping to shush him, they moved closer to the kitchen. Quickly looking into the kitchen, she motioned to Alex to take a look. He shot her a glare before peering around the wall. Taking a step backwards, his eyes locked with hers and his mouth dropped open. The two of them bolted back to his room and shut the door.

Both were quiet as they tried to make sense of what they had just seen. Maggie spoke first. She stopped in the middle of the room and watched as he slowly lowered himself back onto the bed.

"Who the HELL was that?!" She flung he arms into the air and started pacing around the room. Her hands threaded through her hair as she moved around the room in circles. "I mean, I'm not sticking up for Dad in anyway here, but didn't SHE just postponed the divorce? Why would she postpone it just to run around with dork that she has, like ONE date with?! Did you even see that guy? HUGE loser! I mean, come on, who goes dancing the first date? And how super lame must he be if he agrees to a second date at your first game hmm? No offence to you though. I mean, hello dude, you're not our DAD!"

"Um Mags, that was DAD."

_The characters are not mine. I'm just borrowing them!_


	2. Mike

The Morning After

- Mike -

Mike was in heaven. Nothing could have made this moment more perfect. He had woken up this morning in THEIR bed. In THEIR room. In THEIR house. When he rolled over, there was she was, his Scar, facing him with her eyes closed. He slowly lifted his hand and gently brushed a stray lock of hair off her face. His eyes swept over her face, taking in every detail. Of course things had changed. She wasn't the person that she was seventeen years ago. She was better now than ever.

Pressing a quick kiss to her forehead, he lifted her arm and slipped out of bed. Crossing the room, he opened the dresser and pulled out a pair of pj pants and slipped them on. Lifting his head, he watched her in the mirror as she mumbled and clung to his pillow. As she settled back down, it took all of his will to not crawl back into bed with her and spend the entire day there. Once he was sure she was asleep again, he made his way into the bathroom and closed the door silently. Turning to face the mirror, he touched his face in wonder. Just yesterday he had been staring into the eyes of his seventeen year old self. Turning on the tap, he quickly splashed water on his face and dried it. Opening the cabinet above the sink, his breath seemed to be sucked out of body as he took in the sight before him.

It was like he never left. All of his things were exactly where he had left them. When Scar kicked him out of the house months earlier, he barley had time to grab an extra suit from the closet. Just a couple of weeks ago, he had watched as she threw his things through the wood chipper, in some kind of attempt to purge him from her life. He could remember cursing her while out buying new socks and underwear.

He gently picked up his razor, a father's day gift from Maggie when she was five. He remembered unwrapping the boxed set and Maggie's huge eyes staring at him. It was one of those moments that had always stuck with him. Sitting in bed, his daughter sitting on his lap, pointing to each item telling him about what each one did. It was clear to him that she had been coached about the purpose of the gift. His eyes had locked with Scar's over Maggie's head, and she gave him that smile that lit up the room. She held a dozing Alex in her arms and was rocking him back and forth.

Nothing could touch that moment for him. They were so young, with two small children, but she had saved and worked hard to get him a special gift to mark the day. The razor felt heavy in his hands as his thumb brushed over the engraving on the handle.

_For the best father ever. Father's day 1994._

He placed the razor back on it stand and grabbed his toothbrush from the cup next the sink. Making quick work of cleaning his teeth, he made his way back into the bedroom. He paused at the foot of the bed, and looked down. She had moved over to his side of the bed and was curled around his pillow. Smiling to himself, he grabbed his robe from the back of the door and headed towards the kitchen.

Padding his way down the hall, he stopped for a moment at both Maggie's and Alex's door. They had heard the two of them trying to sneak back into the house around 5am. Unfortunately for them, both him and Scar had still been a wake, and heard the two of them as they giggled after tripping over the hallway carpet. Laughing to himself, he was almost grateful that the two of them had blown their curfews and stayed out most of the night. It gave him more time to reconnect with Scar without costing them years of expensive therapy bills. Whistling to himself, he continued towards the kitchen, planning on coffee and food.

He made his way around the kitchen as if he never left. Everything was in the same place it had always been in. He grabbed two mugs from the top shelf, left to the sink. He flashed to when they had been moving in, and remembered unpacking them and purposely placing them somewhere where Scar couldn't get at them without help. _'If it wasn't for that, Alex might have never been'_, he chuckled to himself. Grabbing the can of coffee, he grabbed a spoon from the drawer to his right and started scooping coffee into the machine. Filling it with water, he hit the button on the side and heard the sound of the machine gurgling to life. Bending down, he grabbed a cutting board from the cabinet by the sink and headed to the fridge to find something to eat.

_The characters are not mine. I'm just borrowing them!_

_Thanks for all of the kind words._


	3. Scar

_Enjoy!_

17 Again: Scarlett's Story

Part 3

Of course he wasn't there. As she stood in court, she was shocked that Mike didn't even bother to show up. Here she was, alone. The judge looked surprised when she announced that she wasn't seeking full custody. Even though Mike couldn't be bothered with her anymore, she knew it would kill him to not see Maggie and Alex anymore. Even with all their problems, she couldn't hurt him like that.

She jumped out of her chair as the doors burst open. Looking up, she half expected to see Mike bursting in, but was pissed when she saw Ned and Mark making their way down the aisle. For a brief second, she questioned the fact that Mark looked NOTHING like Ned, and brushed the thought from her mind.

When Ned announced that he was a lawyer, she laughed out loud.

As the two of them were being dragged out, Scarlett was puzzled by the fact that Mark held a letter from Mike. Why didn't Mike send it to her if he couldn't be here? Why send this letter to the teenage boy that had just appeared in her life?

"If it's ok, I'd like to hear the letter." Scarlett sat back down as Mark made his way back towards the front of the room. He seemed nervous has he unfolded the paper and started to read. All of a sudden, it was like there was no one else in the room but the two of them. As Mark painted a picture, she was there with Mike as she whispered, "I love you" into his ear as they moved to the music. She saw the tear roll from Mark's eye as he glanced up from the paper before looking down again. The room was silent as he finished, and he lay the paper down.

Her eyes followed him as he made his way out of the room. She couldn't do this. She wanted Mike back. After requesting to delay the hearing, she walked over in daze towards the letter that Mark had left. She picked it up and noticed that instead of the words that Mark had read, all the paper had was directions to the court house in Mike's messy chicken scratch. How was it possible that Mark would know all that?

* * *

Sitting in the stands, Scarlett felt completely out of place. The roaring crowd around her seemed way to loud. The pounding of the drum, seemed to be right in her head as she sat beside Maggie and her friends. Watching the cheerleaders dance, she half expected Mark to join in and show off. But a quick glance down to the court showed the boys warming up for the game. His eyes seemed to scan the stands and stop above her. She turned towards where he was looking and saw two men, wearing Ohio State colours.

It was complete dejaveiw for her. She placed her hand on her abdomen, half expecting to feel a slight bump. Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the court, after hearing a sharp whistle. The team took to the court, Mark leading the way. Scarlett's eyes followed him as he turned around and took his place. When their eyes locked, the roar of the crowd was a whisper in her ears.

When his hand came to his lips and he followed through, her heart stopped. That was for her. That was his message to her. This wasn't some boy that acted like Mike, _this was Mike._

Sputtering an excuse to Maggie, she stood and quickly made her way down the stands. There was no way she could be here. The room was to hot, to loud. She had to get out of the gym. The sound of the ball hitting the ground was loud in her ears. It pounded as she made her way towards the hallway. She could feel his eyes as they followed her path. Turning she locked eyes with him, and suddenly she was staring a Mike. Seventeen-year-old Mike started back at her, long curly hair over his eyes. She was frozen as they stared at one another. And then she ran. Down the hall. Into the darkness. Just like last time.

But she stopped. Would he do it again? If given the chance to do it over, would Mike chose her? Or would he take the road not taken? She held her breath as she slipped into the shadows. A chill whipped by her, and she heard Mike call out to her. Mike's deep, strong voice called out after her. She heard him stop at the doors and took a step into the light.

There he was. Mike, looking ridiculous, in a Hayden High basketball uniform and high top running shoes. He was just like she remembered. His hands ran through his hair as he turned around.

"It is you."

_The characters are not mine. I'm just borrowing them!_

_Thank you._


	4. Alex

_Last chapter! Thanks for reading and I love reviews * hint *._

The Morning After

- Alex -

Alex watched as the information that their fatherhad been the one feeling up their mother in the kitchen filtered into Maggie's brain. How she hadn't noticed that it had been Dad in the kitchen, he'd never know. That ratty robe of his was a huge give away. He remembered years ago, getting him a new robe for Christmas. He remembered the look on Dad's face as he lifted it out of the box and showed it around. Even though Mom had picked it out, Alex had been pleased that his father had liked his gift. But he never wore it. For weeks it hung next to his old robe in his parent's bedroom. It had never bothered him that his father seemed to prefer his older robe. After a couple of weeks of wondering if his father would ever wear the robe, Alex decided to take it for himself. No one had noticed as he walked into the living room wearing it for the first time.

He walked around his sister to his desk chair and grabbed the robe. After years of use the robe had started to wear and tear. He remembered last week when Mom had begged him to get rid of it and let her buy him a new one. He pulled it on before sinking into the chair with a yawn. Maggie seemed to come back to life and he watched as she stumbled towards his bed before collapsing onto it. She flipped over and stared up at the ceiling has she twirled a lock of hair around her fingers. Mark twirled around towards his desk and booted up his computer. He wasn't sure how long she was going to be like this but there was no point rushing it.

"So, Mom and Dad…" she trailed her statement off.

"Yup. Seems like it."

"Well this is stupid." And with that she was out the door and stomping down the hallway. It took a second for his brain to kick in that he should probably follow her. He stumbled out of his room and caught a glimpse of Mags just as she turned the corner towards the kitchen. He bolted down the hallway and slipped on the hardwood before sliding into the kitchen after her.

The kitchen was empty. They were gone. Eyes wide, Maggie turned to him.

"You don't think that they…?"

Mark just stared at her. He didn't need to think about that. Hell, he _never_ needed to think about that. Just as he opened his mouth, the sound of laughter floated in from the open patio door. Alex's eyes turned towards the sound and he followed Maggie outside. His gaze landed on his parents, sitting in the pale morning sun. Coffee mugs sat on the table next to them along with a plate of fresh fruit. Alex took in the sight of his Mom leaning back into his Dad's embrace, as they quietly whispered to each other.

"MOM, what the HELL?!" Maggie's voice broke through the quiet of the morning. The couple on the bench broke apart and Alex watched as they both stood. He could see the look in his mother eyes even before she placed her hands on her hips.

"Maggie! Language!"

"What do you expect? What's HE doing here?" Maggie crossed her arms over her chest. Alex knew what was going happen next. He watched as his father sat back down and relax on the bench. It was the start to a classic O'Donnell stand off. Alex edged his way behind Maggie and moved out of the line of fire and toward his father. As he sat down next to Mike, he popped a piece of fruit from the tray into his mouth, as he followed Mags and Mom with his eyes.

"So you guys back together now?" Alex asked as he leaned forward and grabbed the handle of Dad's mug. Alex liked his coffee strong, and always found that Mom made it much to weak. Taking a sip of the black coffee, he sighed. It was the first _real_ cup he had since Dad left.

"Yup. You know there's more of that in the kitchen."

"I know."

The men sat in silence as they watched the O'Donnell woman face off. Alex leaned back in the chair and held the mug in both hands.

"So, you like what Mom did?" Alex watched from the corner of his eye as his father leaned forward and grabbed the second mug off the small table. Alex raised his stolen cup to his lips as he waited for his father's response. He could see Mike's eyes sweep across the backyard. He turned to look at him and saw a smile cross his face. His eyes twinkled as he looked back to Alex.

"This is the best thing your Mom has done since making you guys." Mike stood and patted him on the head. "You want to learn how to make breakfast and impress your lady?" Alex looked down and could feel his face turn bright read. Standing up, he fell into step with his father's long stride as they made their way back into the house.

"So I guess Mom told you eh?" Alex took a long sip from the cup and finished the mug. He placed it the sink and turned to face his father's stare.

Mike made his way over to him and patted him on the back. "Alex, I know more than you think. Ok, let me show you how to make my world famous O'Donnell breakfast that's guaranteed to knock her socks off."

Alex leaned back against the counter and watched as his father bent down and started pulling pans out of the cabinet. Alex's head snapped towards the patio door when they heard Maggie.

"WHY ARE YOU WEARING MARK'S JERSEY?!"

Looking back towards his Dad, he noticed that he had turned bright red.

_The characters are not mine. I'm just borrowing them!_


End file.
